DETROIT — The Tigers have been thriving lately on home-run power from in-season help, from Eric Haase’s eight home runs to Jake Rogers’ tape-measure drive on Wednesday night. Isaac Paredes thought he was next on the list, but Mariners left fielder Jake Fraley had other ideas.
Not only did Paredes believe he had hit a walk-off homer in the ninth, but so did the Detroit bullpen as his drive to left field headed that way. Fraley not only brought it back with a leaping catch, his arm extended well over the fence, he started an inning-ending double play to continue the game for his 11th-inning go-ahead single in a 9-6 Tigers loss at Comerica Park.
Fraley’s catch was one of four highlight grabs in the game, one of them from Tigers center fielder Derek Hill, who sprained his right shoulder crashing into the wall to take a hit away from Kyle Seager. Likewise, Paredes’ drive was one of two would-be walk-off homers for the Tigers, who watched Akil Baddoo’s 10th-inning drive to right hook foul before Paredes scored on a wild pitch to tie the game again.
Fraley and Dillon Thomas hit RBI singles off Daniel Norris to pull the Mariners in front for good before Tom Murphy’s two-run double put the game out of reach. By the time Baddoo made an over-the-shoulder catch on a Mitch Haniger line drive to straightaway center, Seattle had a five-run lead.
Robbie Grossman hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th.